PR pro: I own a ‘dumb phone’—and I’m proud of it

The author has never sent a text message nor checked her email on a smartphone, but she insists she remains connected—and more so than many.

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I’m the proud owner of a dumb (that is, the antithesis of smart) Samsung flip phone. There are second-graders with more tablet experience than I have.

I’ve never Foursquared or Pinned anything or FaceTimed. I cannot type with my thumbs, and it has nothing to do with thick fingers. I’ve engaged in a couple rounds of Angry Birds on devices that weren’t my own and found it less thrilling than Ms. Pac-Man on my (still fully functional) Game Boy Color.

Truth be told, I haven’t gone much further than first base in my relationship with “modern technology.”

I assume that in the PR world this is blasphemy. How could anyone stay up to the second with news across all wires, blogs, and pay-walled newspaper sites?

How could anyone build rapport with reporters in different geographic regions?

How could anyone retain clients without at least a basic personal experience with the Ice Cream Sandwich operating system (or something close)?

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